How to Insert PDF File in Excel? Find the Solutions Here!

Data integration and organization from many sources can be accomplished by inserting PDF files into Microsoft Excel. Since reports, invoices, and tables are frequently shared using PDFs, extracting and consolidating information effectively is critical. You may speed up data processing, carry out computations, and produce extensive spreadsheets by adding PDFs into Excel. Moreover, various approaches exist to consider when adding a PDF to Excel. One method entails directly inserting the material into Excel cells after being copied. Although this method enables rapid data transfer, formatting changes might be necessary to guarantee that the data fits properly. Another choice is to use specialized software or online converters to convert the PDF into an Excel-readable format. The layout and organization of the data can be more precisely controlled using this method. On the other hand, Excel can be used to combine and analyze data from many sources, boosting productivity and improving data management abilities. To know more about this, read our comprehensive article on how to insert PDF into Excel. This will unlock your documents' full data integration potential and help you gain valuable insights.

Embed PDF on Excel Through Hyperlink

The first method we suggest can be complicated, but it's just an easy process when you get used to it. You can insert a hyperlink to an image so the link can help you launch a document when you click it. To put it another way, you can first put a picture into your Excel sheet and link it to the PDF document you want to import. Furthermore, to display the PDF document, you must hit the image with a hyperlink and confirm it. See the guide beneath to learn how to insert PDF file in Excel through hyperlinks.

User Guide:

• First, open your Excel app and navigate to the spreadsheet you need. You can access an existing spreadsheet or create a new one depending on your needs. Then, navigate to the upper menu and locate the "Insert" tab.
• Click on it and hit the "Pictures" button from the list of options. Next, your file folder will appear, where you will get the picture you need to insert. Afterward, right-click the image and select "Hyperlink" from the menu.
• Finally, browse the PDF link you need to embed and hit "OK" to apply it. Once done, you can click the image to check the embedded link by hitting the image. You can view the PDF on any compatible app, like PDF viewers or editors. That’s how to embed a pdf in Excel through images and hyperlinks.

Convert PDF to Image for Excel

Pricing Plan:$59.95 for a lifetime license/ $39.95 for an annual license/ $9.95 for a monthly license
Distinctive Feature: The tool has a "Compress" function that you can use to minimize the PDF size before the conversion process. This is helpful to make the files more fit to any app, like Excel.

As mentioned in the first part above, MS Excel allows you to insert an image directly into the spreadsheet. You can take advantage of this function to embed your PDF into Excel by converting them to image format. The advantage of converting PDFs to images is that you don't have to bother embedding them as hyperlinks. Also, you can directly display them on the sheet, which is convenient for quick access.

Moreover, you need a reliable tool, like AcePDF, for the process. This special software efficiently converts your PDF files to image formats like JPEG and PNG. These image formats are compatible with Excel for hassle-free insertion. What is more, the tool allows you to convert any number of PDFs to JPEG or PNG in one click so that you can conserve time than manually converting them. Another impressive feature of this tool is that you can edit the PDF before transforming it to an image format. For instance, you can remove unnecessary details, add new text, arrange the pages, remove background from PDF, and more. So if you want to discover how to add PDF in Excel, find the steps you need to follow below.

Step 1 Install the PDF-to-Image Converter

First, navigate to the "Download" buttons shown overhead and get the one that matches your computer OS. After a while, follow the wizard window's instructions to save AcePDF on the device you are working on successfully. Finally, start the software and begin exploring it.

Step 2 Start Converting PDF to Image Format

Next, hit the “Batch Process” from the left side and select the “Convert from” tab from the options. Once done, drag the PDF file you wish to convert and let it load until it shows up. Then, pick the image format you prefer (JPEG or PNG) and modify the output destination. After that, click the “Convert” icon to begin.

Step 3 Check the Image Files

Once the conversion is complete, you can move to the specified output destination. If the PDF file you converted has more than one page, the images will be saved in a zip file. So, locate the zip file with the same file name as the PDF. Afterward, double-click it and pick the image file you want to check. We suggest saving the images individually to embed them in Excel for the next step easily.

Step 4 Embed the Image on Excel

Now that the image is ready, open your Excel app and click the “Insert” button from the primary menu. Then click “Pictures” from the tools and select the PDFs now in JPG format. Lastly, hit the “Insert” button to import PDF to Excel. You can place the pictures in any area and resize them according to your requirements.

Simple Ways to Attach PDF in Excel

1. Copy-and-Paste Method

The copy-and-paste method refers to the manual data transfer from your PDF file to the Excel spreadsheet. However, remember that this technique's effectiveness depends on the PDF's formatting and the PDF reader's ability to extract the text precisely. The complex design and graphics of the PDF may need to be copied correctly in some circumstances, requiring further manual modifications in Excel. So, this method is only recommended if the PDF majority consists of text data, which is easier to copy and paste on Excel. Read the user guide below to learn how this method works.

User Guide:

• Use a PDF reader or editor program on your computer to access the PDF file. Then launch your preferred version of Microsoft Excel. To view both concurrently, resize and place the Excel window and PDF viewer side by side on your screen.
• Find the content you wish to copy in the PDF viewer. You may pick the text, tables, or images you want to copy using the mouse cursor. To highlight the appropriate text, click and drag the cursor over it. Try to select the complete table if the content is shown as a table for simpler copying.
• Once done, copy the material by pressing the "Ctrl+C" keyboard shortcut. Next, open the Excel window instead. Put the cursor where you wish to paste the material in the specified cell. Afterward, you can paste the material by pressing the "Ctrl+V" keyboard shortcut.
• After pasting the material into Excel, checking and correcting the formatting might be necessary. Change column widths and merge cells or other elements to display the data appropriately.

2. Insert PDF as an Object

Another approach is to insert PDF as icon or object. This feature is built into several versions of MS Excel, including Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 365. The benefits of this approach are clear: By adding PDF objects from different files into a single Excel spreadsheet, you can combine data and information from many sources and keep it orderly. On the other hand, you need to consider some limitations of this method. For instance, The inserted PDF object is typically read-only, meaning you cannot directly edit or modify the content of the PDF file within Excel. To make changes, you must open the PDF file in a separate PDF viewer/editor. Besides, large PDF files can increase the overall file size of the Excel workbook, which may affect performance, especially when sharing or emailing the file.

User Guide:

• Open Microsoft Excel and choose the worksheet where the PDF object should be inserted. To position the PDF object, click the cell you want it to be in. Then pick the "Insert" tab from the ribbon at the top window. Click the "Object" button after finding the "Text" group. The "Object" dialog box will then be displayed.
• Choose the "Create from File" tab in the "Object" dialog box. To locate and choose the PDF file you wish to insert as an object, click the "Browse" option. If you want the PDF to appear in the worksheet as an icon, make sure the "Display as icon" checkbox is selected.
• Click "OK" once you've chosen the PDF document. Excel will then add the PDF file as an icon in the selected cell. The PDF item inside the worksheet is now adjustable in size and position. To change an object's size, click and drag its edges. The object can also be moved by clicking and dragging it to a different spot on the worksheet.

3. Use an Online Converter

For the next method, you can use an online tool to convert PDF to Excel. You can use iLovePDF to convert your file easily. This online PDF to Excel converter can work on Windows and Mac computers. Furthermore, the tool can process multiple PDF files and convert them to Excel format in bulk. In addition, you can use it as an image to Excel converter app to convert scanned images to Excel with its OCR function. Nevertheless, directly converting PDF documents to Excel using this tool might affect the accuracy of the converted files. This can happen if your PDF documents have complicated tables, images, or graphics. Still, it is a great choice if you only want to convert PDFs consisting of text.

User Guide:

• Tick the anchor text overhead to quickly launch the official website of iLovePDF on your web browser. Once done, hit the “Select PDF file” in the middle to add your document. Also, you can click the Drive or Dropbox icons if you will get the file from these services.
• Once done, the PDF file will automatically appear. You can click the “+” icon if you still need to add more files. If contented, hit the “Convert to Excel” button in the lower-right corner to start.
• After the process, the download window will appear. Hit the “Download Excel” button to save the converted file completely. Besides, you can click the Drive and Dropbox icons to save the Excel file on your cloud storage directly.

Advanced Techniques to Attach PDF in Excel

1. Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

You can use the integration features to incorporate PDF content into Excel using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to customize settings and optimize the integration process. This makes it easy to seamlessly include PDF content as if it was always a part of your document. The tool's integration features offer a seamless workflow between PDF and Excel. That way, you can facilitate effective data extraction, document conversion, protect PDF in Excel, and more. Explore the integration options below within the software to get started.

• Export PDF to Excel. You can directly export PDF files to Excel format with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. With this function, the tables in the PDF content are converted into a structured Excel spreadsheet. First, access the PDF document in Acrobat Pro DC, select the "Export PDF" tool, and choose the "Excel" option. Then, follow the prompt to save the Excel file that has been converted. With the help of this technique, you can easily import tabular data from PDFs into Excel.
• Link to PDFs. Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, you may hyperlink individual pages or parts of a PDF file in Excel. This enables users to view the PDF content straight from Excel. To do so, select the cell or text in Excel, go to the "Insert" tab, select the hyperlink option, and enter the path or URL of the PDF file that will generate a hyperlink. Users can open the desired page or segment of the PDF in Acrobat Pro DC by clicking the hyperlink in Excel.
• Form Integration. Acrobat Pro DC has strong management and form-creation tools. Interactive PDF forms with form fields, dropdown menus, checkboxes, and more are possible. When integrating PDF forms into Excel, you can use the Acrobat form fields to collect data within the PDF and then export or extract that data to Excel for further analysis or processing.

2. Extract Data from PDF Files

Many tools and methods exist for extracting tabular data from PDF files and importing it into Excel. It's crucial to remember that the complexity and caliber of the PDF file affect how well the data extraction process goes. Extraction can be difficult with complicated layouts, combined cells, graphic elements, or low-resolution scans. Moreover, a combination of methods or manual changes in Excel may be necessary to extract data from PDFs. Here are a few often employed techniques for precise data extraction:

• Copy and Paste. You can attempt the copy-and-paste method with simple tables or text-based data. Select the table or data you wish to copy from the PDF file by opening it. Paste it into Excel after that. Tables with clear rows and columns and a good structure function best when using this technique. Excel corrections may be necessary due to mismatched data caused by sophisticated formatting and merged cells.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR tools can turn image-based content into editable text when working with scanned PDFs or non-selectable text. You may extract text from scanned PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and various OCR programs like AcePDF, Tesseract, or Google Cloud Vision OCR. Following OCR, you can use Excel to copy and paste the extracted text or other tools to transform it into a structured format. Also, you can extend your reading here to learn more about how to OCR PDF.
• Manual Data Entry. Manual data entry may be necessary when the formatting is complicated, or the PDF data is difficult to extract. The data from the PDF is manually entered into Excel using this technique. Even though it takes a while, it guarantees accuracy when working with unstructured data or complex PDF layouts.

Frequently Asked Questions

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